Videos Support Mayas
From SPARK
Brief Summary
The spoken Word has great impact to change lives and motivate.
Unexpected response by Mayans to a related language.
The New Media Bible films, originally only in English or Spanish, are being used for large and small group showings after the narration has been changed into the local language. The videos have strengthened viewer’s faith, spoken to individual needs, and helped to clarify Biblical passages. The films, along with follow-up efforts with audio and literacy, have helped increase interest in literacy and a greater interest in hearing and reading the Scriptures in the vernacular.
Introduction
Audiovisual media has been used in Central America to enhance language programs.
Key factors
- Vernacular Biblical drama is useful, as drama is highly prized by the Maya
- Dance dramas are an important part of their ritual expression
- Skits and dramas are integral parts of special programs in many Indian evangelical churches
- Using these media impacts the Maya with scriptural truth and encourages interest in written Scripture
What was done
Using videos began when CAB (Central America Branch of the Summer Institute of Linguistics) was given a 16mm set of the New Media Bible’s Genesis Project in Spanish. These contain professionally narrated and acted-out Luke and Genesis. Translators thought the videos would be more effective if the sound track was in the language of the people (Rabinal Achi). An Achi reader recorded Luke onto cassettes. They were played with the movie. The Rabinal Achi people did accept these. This encouraged the Video Department to put the sound track into all the languages of Guatemala.
The staff put vernacular language narration onto the New Media Bible films. The CAB video staff made their own scripts. They noted the beginning and ending time for each block of narration. The vernacular script was sectioned to fit the time blocks instead of trying to “lip sync”. Separate readers read the different roles in each film. This added interest to the story. Literacy specialists coached the Indian narrators. The sound track was recorded in the CAB audio studio.
In many of the language areas, video showings are a community event. The showings are part of one to three night conferences organized by local pastors. The showings last two or more hours. Lightweight portable equipment is used. Videos are shown in local churches, the town square, a playing field, or under large tents. People sit on the ground or stand shoulder to shoulder. Attendance may be five hundred or more people. Some have babies on their backs.
Even with little or no public notice, people gather to see the videos. Some return night after night to watch them again. They often bring others with them.
Procedure for large-group showing
Preparing for a video presentation requires working with churches or the town hall. Local pastors or officials are needed for advertising the event. Flyers, radio, or loudspeaker announcements are helpful. Showings need to be on neutral territory (bipartisan) and in a central location.
Showings may be two to five nights in one location. The people can see parts of the video instead of all of it at one time. This gives a reason to return the next night. It also gives time to apply the message to their lives.
Videos have been used at the beginning of evangelistic campaigns to attract the people. Then the local pastor shares a short message. He may explain the video message. Most of the people will stay for the message. They know that more video showings will follow. Taped Scripture books or portions are often for sale at the end. Many are sold during the campaigns. The local pastor is in charge of follow-up.
An introduction to the films is important. For example:What you are going to see is the acting out of some events in Luke’s gospel. Actors were used to represent Jesus and the others. What you will hear is a reading from the Gospel of Luke. The people making the film studied the times of Jesus to make these very accurate. This has been translated into your language (showing them the book.) We hope that in a few years the whole New Testament will be available. You may notice that the people in the film are not speaking a language you know. The people in Jesus' time spoke a Hebrew-related language. They didn't speak Spanish or English.
This helps eliminate the mistaken idea that the videos show actual pictures of Jesus. For instance, some Achi have been heard saying to one another, “Well, of course, they are all just actors portraying the people in the Bible.” The New Media Bible video is then shown.
This is sometimes followed by a devotional message and singing, led by a speaker of the local language, not the translators.
Procedures for small-group showing
The translators show one film a week. It is shown each afternoon or upon request. The main showing consists of the Luke videos. They may vary the program with other videos. These may be educational or about health concerns. They also show a few videos in Spanish which describe other Indian cultures, such as “Between Two Worlds”. This tells about cultural identity and bilingual education among the Guahibo of Colombia.
The CAB video department has filmed two videos in which the Achi young people enacted parables. (These are described in another article.) Educational videos are helpful, but Scripture videos remain the heart of the program. In one town where people saw videos for the first time, the translators showed several types of videos. After the showings, they asked which one the people would like repeated. Most replied, “We liked them all, but we want to see the one about the life of Christ again.”
After years of seeing a limited use of printed Scripture, there has been a renewed interest in vernacular materials. This may be because of the video emphasis. After seeing a Luke video, the people are encouraged to buy Scripture portions, either printed or taped.
Ten short reading/writing courses, varying from three days to a week, have been held for the Achi in different towns. These have resulted in laymen and leaders prepared to read, write, and record Achi and make use of Achi Scripture.
Follow-up cassette tape programs using Scripture portions interspersed with music have been helpful in reinforcing the Biblical message of the videos. One seven-year-old Achi boy, who cannot read, recently borrowed a Luke tape after seeing the video. He has memorized half of Luke from listening to the tapes. He has repeated the chapters in church to the amazement of everyone.
Part or full-time tape promoters with battery-operated cassette players circulate from house to house in small villages playing the tapes, loaning them, or selling them.
Equipment
For showing videos in villages on the mountainsides, the video team often must hike to the site. In Guatemala, the video equipment is transported by vehicle, mules, or on people's backs.
At present CAB is using Kodak video projectors. These are the same size as a normal VCR, weighing less than ten pounds. They cost about $3,000 each. A VCR and cables are also needed. To project the sound, two speakers, cables, and a 30w to 50w amplifier, are needed.
If no clear flat wall is available, a screen might be necessary. A standard movie screen can be used for most viewings. The CAB video team has used a 15-foot portable screen with aluminum frame because of the large audience.
If electricity is not available, a small generator (400w) can supply the power. The portable equipment costs between $2,000 and $5,000. This includes: Kodak projector $3,000; VCR $200-$400; amplifier speakers $75-$125; screen $100-$300; cables $50; generator $250-$400. For home showings, a large-screen TV monitor (for $500) is desirable.
Results
Some Mayan language groups have all or part of the Genesis Project and/or Luke recorded on video. Over 12,000 Mam speakers have seen them in their own language. Pastors have reported numerous conversions and healings.
After seeing the response of the Mam people, a local Guatemalan ministry decided to use native Mam speakers. The video and preaching in Mam have given value to this vernacular language. This is unusual in a country where the national language has value but vernacular languages are considered not true languages. This also increased the truth and importance of the Scriptures in the vernacular.
The spoken Word can change lives and motivate people. The sound track of the Genesis Project Life of Christ video contains Scripture narrated in the vernacular languages. Vernacular videos direct people to the written or recorded Scriptures. The video may not always be available but the audio Scriptures will be.
In the Rabinal Achi language group of over 20,000 people, videos are sometimes shown in the translators’ home. The “audience” might be just one visitor. There are usually thirty or more. Agricultural workers awaiting transportation in front of the translators’ home often wander in to watch the videos.
One teenager heard the video from the street and went in to see it. The next day she invited twenty fellow workers to view it. These people have never visited the translators nor ever attended an evangelical church. Some may never have attended any church. Other than personal testimony, this might be the only way they would hear God’s Word in their own language.
The videos have strengthened viewers’ faith. One couple was very affected by the story of Elizabeth’s barrenness. In Achi culture, it is common for a man to divorce his wife if she doesn’t give him children. This couple had been married ten years but had no children. The man said to his wife, “Isn’t this just what I’ve been saying? We must be patient. Nothing is impossible with God. He can still give us children. If He doesn’t, then He knows best.” They left encouraged and with renewed faith. Later they went to Bible school to prepare for the pastorate.
The videos have spoken to individual needs and they enlighten viewers. When the next-door shaman came to have his picture taken, the translators convinced him and his wife to see the film. He was impressed and commented about what power Jesus had.
The videos clarify the Biblical narratives. Some Achi people believed that the shepherds in the nativity story were church leaders. The Spanish word “pastor” means the minister of the church or a pastor of sheep. Most Achi people have never seen a sheep. The videos clearly show the work of shepherds and what sheep look like.
People have memorized Scripture by repeated viewings of the videos. They move their lips along with the actors or narrator. They help newcomers understand what they are seeing. They make comments such as, “Now Jesus is going to do this. Watch carefully.”
One advantage of videos is that people can see them over and over. Each time they understand more. Videos can be stopped. This gives time for discussion. Questioning the people checks their comprehension.
The video message can be applied to everyday life. This is a way to teach nonreaders who may never learn to read the Bible.
Conclusion
Our main focus has been to encourage, teach, and motivate people to use the Scriptures. The New Media Bible films are an invaluable help. They are not without cultural problems that have to be considered. But with this medium and follow-up efforts of audio and literacy, there has been an increase in literacy, greater interest in hearing and reading the Scriptures in the vernacular, Scripture memorization, and pride in one’s own language.
